If I were to ask you, "What's the most important letter you have ever read?," what would you say? I imagine I would get many different answers. Some time ago I took Saddleback through a verse-by-verse study of what I believe to be the greatest letter ever written, the book of Romans, during our mid-week services.

This book, written by Paul, has had an amazing and powerful impact on the lives of millions of people.

Richard Halbertson wrote, "In a very basic sense, western civilization is a by-product of Paul's letter to the Romans. Nothing was written by man that had a greater impact on modern history."

Samuel Coleridge once said about Romans, "The most profound writing in existence of all time."

John Calvin wrote concerning Romans, "If a man understands Romans he has a sure road open to help him understand the entire Bible."

It is the basic handbook for Christianity. This one letter has helped to change history. Martin Luther started the Reformation because of the book of Romans. John Wesley started the Wesleyan revivals. Augustine became a Christian because of the book of Romans.

In these 36 lessons and outlines I go verse-by-verse through the book of Romans, unlocking the deep spiritual truths that transform lives and build the body of Christ. I believe this is one of the greatest Bible studies I?ve taken our church through over the years. My prayer for you is that this study through Romans would enrich your life and deeply impact the faith of your church.

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Overview: A Life-Changing Letter

By Rick Warren

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Overview of Romans: Who wrote it, to whom was it written, when and why was it written, the main message, and what are the key words of the main divisions of the book?

Romans 1:1-17: The Gospel According to Paul

By Rick Warren

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Paul the man, his message, his ministry, his motivation.

Romans 1:18-32: Man Innocent or Guilty

By Rick Warren

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Sin - Why we all need salvation.

Romans 2:1-16: The Danger of Judging Others

By Rick Warren

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No one has the right to judge others: 4 Characteristics of a self-righteous person, and 7 times it is wrong to judge others. Only God has the right to judge others: how God judges and what we will be judged for.

Romans 2:17-29: Why "Religion" Can't Save You

Romans 3:1-20: God's Final Verdict

Conclusion of the courtroom section of Romans: Paul makes his closing arguments of God's case against humanity. Paul raises 5 objections and gives 5 answers. He submits supporting testimony using Old Testament scriptures, and then summarizes God's case.

Romans 3:21-31: What God Has Done for You

By Rick Warren

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3 important words that describe our salvation, 9 wonderful facts that explain our salvation, why God created the plan of salvation, and the consequences of God's plan of salvation.

Romans 3:25: Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

By Rick Warren

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False explanations of Christs death, 5 major reasons for his death, and what our response should be to his death.

Romans 4:1-16: How to Be Accepted by God

By Rick Warren

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Using the two key words in this passage — justified and credited — we learn how NOT to be accepted by God, and why God made our acceptance based only on our faith.

Romans 4:17-25: How to Believe God for a Miracle

By Rick Warren

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Abrahams life illustrates the 6 phases of faith that God uses to prepare you for a miracle. Abraham overcame the temptation to give up and demonstrated the kind of faith God rewards.

Romans 5:1-11: The Benefits of Believing

By Rick Warren

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There are 6 benefits of believing, among them peace, hope, and security. God's purpose for our lives and what he uses to mature us are explored more deeply. We are then challenged to respond to these benefits with rejoicing.

Romans 5:1-5: How God Uses Suffering In Our Lives

By Rick Warren

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This message takes a closer look at one of the benefits of believing — rejoicing. We rejoice in hope because we have peace with God, and we rejoice in suffering. There are 6 attitudes towards suffering that counteract God's purpose. The secret of rejoicing in suffering is realizing that suffering is evidence of God's love, not his anger.

Romans 5:12-21: How Jesus Replaced What Adam Erased

By Rick Warren

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At the end of the second section of Romans, Paul compares and contrasts the influence of two men on the human race: Adam and Jesus.

Romans 6:1-14: The "Facts and Acts" of the Christian Life

By Rick Warren

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Knowing and believing the 3 great facts of the Christian life — justification, sanctification, and glorification — lead us to 3 important acts — reckoning, resisting, and rendering.

Romans 6:14a: Living Under the Law

By Rick Warren

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Exploring one of the key verses of scripture, gain insight into the Old Testament law, learn about the 7 ways the law is pictured in the New Testament, rejoice in how we are free from the law, and ponder the ways a Christian relates properly to the law.

Romans 6:14b: Living Under Grace

By Rick Warren

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Moving on to the second half of this pivotal verse, learn the 6 characteristics of grace, the 8 benefits of grace, and 3 misconceptions about grace.

Romans 7:1-13: You Are Free from the Law

By Rick Warren

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At the start of the third section of Romans, learn why were free from the law, and the 4 results of that freedom - new freedom, new relationship, new purpose, new motivation. In contrast, the law fulfills 5 functions in the life of the unbeliever.

Romans 7:14-25: The Civil War Inside You

By Rick Warren

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We have a new nature and an old nature, and if we try to handle the struggle between them in our own power, we are doomed to failure. Drawing from the lessons of Romans 7, Pastor Rick gives 5 practical ways to live as a realistic Christian.

Romans 8:1-39: The Ultimate Lifestyle

By Rick Warren

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This overview of one of the great chapters of the Bible reveals 7 characteristics of the type of life the Holy Spirit enables us to live: a life without condemnation, domination, desperation, miscalculation, intimidation, limitation, or separation.

Romans 8:1-2: Living Without Condemnation

By Rick Warren

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After the preceding message which overviewed Romans 8, this is the first of five messages that go deeper into this great chapter of the Bible. The following questions are answered: What is condemnation? How does God respond to me when I sin? What happens when a Christian sins? What should a Christian do when he sins?

Romans 8:5-17: What It Means to Be a Christian

By Rick Warren

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After contrasting believers and unbelievers in 4 different categories, it comes down to one factor that is the primary characteristic of a genuine Christian: the presence of the Holy Spirit. The passage then explains 5 ways to know you're really a child of God.

Romans 8:18-28: Finding Hope to Hang On

By Rick Warren

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The key words in this section of Romans 8 are hope, wait and groan. The sources of suffering are situations, sin, self, Satan, and (believe it or not) salvation. The key to coping with suffering is another key word: consider. There are 5 "hopes" in the midst of suffering.

Romans 8:28-31: God's Purpose for My Life

By Rick Warren

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The key words in this section of Romans 8 are hope, wait and groan. The sources of suffering are situations, sin, self, Satan, and (believe it or not) salvation. The key to coping with suffering is another key word: consider. There are 5 "hopes" in the midst of suffering.

Romans 8:31-39: God Is for Us!

By Rick Warren

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The last message on Romans 8 lifts us to a pinnacle of understanding about the grace of God. Grace means I can always count on God's power, provision, protection, pardon and presence. Because of God's grace, there are 5 things I never have to worry about.

Romans 9:1-33: Let God Be God!

By Rick Warren

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In the next 3 chapters of Romans, Paul shows how God's plan for the Jews demonstrates his character. The Jews were given 8 special privileges by God, and God's choice of Israel demonstrates 4 principles of salvation. The conclusion of this difficult passage is, "Let God be God."

Romans 10:1-21: The Good News Is for Everybody!

By Rick Warren

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After looking at Israel's past, this message looks at Israel in the present, and answers the question, "Why has God set Israel aside?" In light of Israel's current status, salvation is available to anyone today.

Romans 11:1-36: God Always Keeps His Promises!

By Rick Warren

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Having looked at Israel's past and present, we now look to Israel's future. The setting aside of Israel is only partial and temporary. As a result of what will happen to Israel in the future, Paul explodes in thanksgiving for God's faithfulness. 7 other scriptures are explored for evidences of what God's faithfulness means to my life personally.

Romans 12:1-2: How to Discover God's Wil

By Rick Warren

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This is the first message in the last section of Romans, which is the practical part of the book. In order to discover Gods will for your life, apply the principles of dedication, insulation and transformation.

Romans 12:1-8: My Place In the Body of Christ

By Rick Warren

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The practical aspects of our Christian life begin with our personal commitment to Christ, and move to our commitment to the body of Christ. In this regard, I must dedicate my body, eliminate distractions, evaluate my strengths, cooperate with other believers, and activate my spiritual gift. This message concludes with 5 important statements of structure that define Saddleback Church.

Romans 12:9-21: How to Grow a Loving Church

By Rick Warren

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In this passage we have one of the most straightforward and practical descriptions of what it means to really love. Jesus said that love is the proof that we are His disciples. The first half of this passage deals with how to love believers and grow a loving church. The second half describes how we are to love unbelievers and respond when wronged.

Romans 13:1-7: God, the Government, and Me

By Rick Warren

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Drawing from several passages that together explain the Biblical position on government, Pastor Rick discusses the nature of government, the 4 purposes of government, and our responsibility and relationship to government as Christians.

Romans 13:8-14: How to Live the Rest of Your Life

By Rick Warren

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We only have a limited amount of time before Christ's second coming. In light of that fact, here are 6 actions to take that will make the most of whatever time we have left: pay up, build up, wake up, gear up, clean up, and dress up.

Romans 14:1-13: Accepting Each Other

By Rick Warren

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This crucial passage addresses the issue of disputable matters with one key word: accept. There are 3 ways to accept people who disagree with you, and 6 compelling reasons to accept people without labeling, judging or changing them.

Romans 14:13-15:13: Building Up Each Other

By Rick Warren

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We move now from accepting one another to the more active process of building each other up. This passage explains 6 ways to build each other up, and the responsibility, reasons and results of building each other up.

Romans 15:14-33: How to Have An Effective Ministry

By Rick Warren

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As Paul wraps up this section of doctrinal teaching, we get a glimpse into his heart and his secrets for effective ministry. He summarizes his message, motives, miracles, ministry and method. This study of Paul's life reveals 6 principles that we can apply to have an effective ministry.

Romans 16:1-27: Affirming the Ministry of Others

By Rick Warren

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This concluding chapter is really Pauls "P.S." to his masterful letter. Even though this is simply a list of people Paul wants to greet, we can learn from their stories. This chapter includes Pauls commendations, his cordiality, his final caution, and his conclusion.